This invention relates to metallized fabrics, particularly for use in ironing board covers and the like which are copper coated and therefore highly heat retentive and heat reflective, as well as highly scorch resistant.
Traditionally, ironing board covers have been made of natural loom-state greige cotton fabric. In later years, this fabric was either bleached white, dyed or screen printed. This later evolved into fabric with a super-imposed coating in the form of a continuous metal film overlying the fabric surface. Such coatings include pure aluminum flakes, teflon or silicone, and other materials dispersed in acrylic resin binders.
Metallized ironing board covers are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,600,913 and 3,049,826. In each case, the metallized layer overlying the upper surface of the cover fabric is in the form of a continuous film, which is integral, non-porous and smooth. In each case, the surface characteristics of the ironing board cover are those of the metal film.
Metallized fabrics are also known and are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,032,681. This patent describes a reflective fabric comprising a base fabric covered with a metal film bonded to the fabric. The metal film is fractured to provide openings in the film to let the fabric "breathe", but the surface characteristics of the finished product are still those of the metal film.
Known metallized ironing board covers and other metallized fabrics often use aluminum as the metal. This is yet another drawback to known metallized fabrics because, in producing aluminum coated ironing board covers, there is a danger of hydrogen gas build-up in the sealed drums or areas where the aluminum is mixed with water.
In recent times, there has been an acute interest in energy saving both from a labor and time saving viewpoint, as well as in terms of saving electricity. The aluminized coated ironing board covers are generally satisfactory due to their heat reflective property, but there is a need for an ironing board cover that is not only heat reflective, but heat retentive so as to save labor and electrical energy. The present invention concerns the accomplishment of these goals during the ironing and pressing of cloth articles and the like. Furthermore, the present invention does not involve the hazards of working with potentially dangerous aluminum solutions.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a metallized fabric in which the metallized surface of the fabric substantially retains the characteristics of the fabric. That is, in known metallized fabrics, the surface characteristics are those of the overlying metal, whereas with the present invention, the texture, porosity and flexibility of the surface are substantially those of the fabric. This novel result is achieved by the manner in which the metal coating is applied to the fabric, as described more fully hereinafter. This result is significant in that it provides a metallized fabric which is heat-reflective and heat-retentive, yet substantially possesses the surface characteristics of fabric rather than of metal. This provides the texture, flexibility and porosity necessary for proper ironing. That is, the fabric surface texture provides friction which assists in holding in place the article to be ironed, while the fabric porosity enables steam and moisture to pass through the fabric to the underlying pad which permits the article to be ironed dry in fewer ironing strokes. These properties are not achieved in known metallized fabrics.